


Keep Me Warm

by msermesth



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, Huddling For Warmth, IN SPACE!, M/M, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), mini fix-it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-28 20:27:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13279260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msermesth/pseuds/msermesth
Summary: Tony likes to think he is prepared for anything, but when their spaceship loses power, he must think fast to keep Steve warm.





	Keep Me Warm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vorkosigan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vorkosigan/gifts).



> Set after the fight with Thanos, in which no one dies, and everything is hunky-dory.

“So we’re just… floating in space?” Steve asked and Tony could tell he was trying to look less concerned than he was. There was just something about the way he was holding himself that felt familiar. Tony could almost hear the rousing speech destined to follow asking him to face certain death.

“At the moment, yes. But I sent out a distress signal and our saviors should be here between now and…” Tony made a show of checking his watch even though he was in the suit. “... the next eight hours.”

“Eight hours?” Steve asked, clearly trying to stay calm. They were floating in space, their small return vehicle from the fight with Thanos having been hit with an asteroid and cutting off the power that regulated their climate control settings in addition to their navigation. Tony had been trying to fix it for the last hour, but it was getting more and more obvious that he was missing some vital tools to do the job. If he had more time, maybe… but they were going to have to spend that time breathing stale air. Tony’s helmet came with a filter, Steve’s cowl did not.

Also, there was the whole problem of just how _weird_ things currently were between them. Sure, it had been liked old times when they were fighting Thanos and his crazy henchmen. But now that they were stuck together on the ride home… things were a little more complicated and definitely much more awkward. Despite the hundred square feet between them, they were still standing as far as possible from each other. “Space is big, Steve,” Tony said, and yes, maybe he didn’t have to be so flippant about it, but it wasn’t like Steve was the only one anxious about their current situation. “All our friends are far away, and we took our time sending out the distress signal.” What Tony meant was that _he_ took his time, being too proud to call an engineering problem too difficult to solve without having taken a crack at it first.

Steve, who was clearly too concerned about their current predicament to point that out to Tony, just responded with, “okay.”

And that’s when his teeth started to chatter.

At first, Tony was sure it was just a nervous response, even if in all the years he had fought beside Steve, he had never seen him do something like that. But then Steve hugged his big arms around himself and Tony understood. “You’re cold,” he observed as he realized he was standing in solar-powered armor that was keeping the temperature at a comfortable twenty-two degrees Celsius.

“I’m fine,” Steve said, defensively, not sarcastically.

The HUD told him that the current temperature of the cabin was at two degrees Celsius. Not _cold_ -cold, but definitely not ideal if you were wearing a uniform designed for maximum breathability.

The bigger problem was that the temperature was dropping rapidly. Tony would be fine—the suit was designed to survive weeks in both the Arctic or the Sahara—but Steve wouldn’t. He may be a supersoldier, but he wasn’t inhuman. And then there was the way his eyes were darting from left to right like maybe he could find some solution to this problem on his own. Suddenly, Tony realized why Steve was so scared.

Tony threw open his arms and walked the few steps that were separating him from Steve. Steve stared at him like he was crazy, but he didn’t flinch when Tony wrapped his arms around him. For about a minute, Steve stayed tense, his shoulder practically at his ears, but then he relaxed with a long sigh and Tony held him closer. “How are you doing that?” Steve asked and his voice was calm, serene even, and something deep inside Tony’s chest clenched. He tightened his hold for non-warmth related reasons.

Steve was asking about the heat Tony’s armor was admitting. “It’s just one of my many anti-icing protections.” Tony wouldn’t have been a futurist if he didn’t think of every possibility.

Though, admittedly, he hadn’t prepared for this one.

“Thank you,” Steve whispered into the neck of the armor and the HUD told Tony his heart rate was elevated. “I know things haven’t been right between us,” he continued as Tony elected to not point out the understatement in gratitude for Steve being quiet about their hour delay. “But if this is the end, I’m glad it’s here by your side.”

Tony stepped back and grabbed Steve by the shoulders. “What the fuck!? We’re going to be _fine_. Trust me.” He pulled Steve back into another tight hug and tried to maximize the armor-to-body ratio. The voice projector was old centimeters from Steve’s ear, so he leaned into it, and against all better judgment, confessed, “We’re not going to die, I promise. But still, I’m glad I’m here, too. Right by your side.”

\--------

It took four hours for their lifeboat to come save them, three days to get back to earth, two weeks to tensely argue about the Accords, and one wonderful homemade dinner for Steve and Tony to find themselves, again, cuddling for warmth, even if this time it was on the deck of Avengers’ Compound.

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr Post](https://msermesth.tumblr.com/post/169505686264/fandom-stocking-fills)


End file.
